About

Manosphere is a neologism used to describe a loose network of blogs, forums and online communities on the English-speaking web that are devoted to a wide range of mens’ interests, from life philosophies and gender relations to self-improvement tips and strategies for success in life, relationships and sex. Due to its affiliation with the Men’s Rights Movement, some factions within the Manosphere have come under criticism for their antagonistic stance against feminism and perceived promotion of misogyny.

History

On January 1st, 2001, the MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) blog No Ma’am[18] was created, which initially featured links to various essays and articles addressing gender differences, dating life and masculinity. On April 9th, 2007, the men’s interest blog Chateau Heartiste[11] was launched on Word Press, offering dating and relationship advice for men, as well as arguments against feminist ideals. On November 10th, 2009, the Blogspot blog The Manosphere[9] was created, marking the earliest-known use of the term “Manosphere” to describe an online network of men’s interest communities.

On December 20th, 2010, the subreddit /r/mansformation[14] was launched for discussions related to becoming a high-status or “alpha” male. On March 10th, 2011, the men’s interest blog Private Man[10]published an article titled “Manosphere – The New Men’s Club,” which highlights the growing number of blogs and discussion forums centered around men’s issues. On August 19th, another manospheric blog The Rational Male[15] was launched. On October 16th, 2012, the men’s interest blog Return of Kings[16] was created by writer Daryush Valizadeh, featuring articles written by male bloggers about pickup artistry and the culture of masculinity.

Online Presence

Men Going Their Own Way

Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)[17] is a men’s separatist movement centered around the belief that society is biased against men in favor of women. Many MGTOW proponents argue that the risks for a man to get married and have children are too high in comparison to the reward due to an alleged female-biased legal system.

PickUp Artists

Pickup Artists are men who utilize a variety of techniques to attract and seduce women. As part of the manosphere, there are many advice blogs and discussion forums that cater to the PUA community, equipped with their own set of jargon and slang terms.

Men’s Rights Activists

The Men’s Rights Movement is a social and political movement which aims to combat perceived disadvantages toward men, which can be seen as a reactionary phenomenon to advancements of feminism in modern society.

The Red Pill

The Red Pill (TRP) is a movement within the manosphere that uses the red and blue pill[20] symbols from the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix in which the protagonist Neo leaves a simulated reality for the real world after choosing to swallow a red pill. The movement promotes an evolutionary biology and economic-inspired view of human sexual relationships, encouraging traditional forms of masculinity in which men are the dominate gender. Many TRP enthusiasts insist that women are hypergamous[5] and prefer to sleep with high-ranking (alpha) males while having relationships with low-rank (beta) males if provided with sufficient resources. On October 25th, 2012, the movement began with the creation of the /r/theredpill[2] subreddit, which features discussions related to relationships, self improvement, feminism and sexuality. On January 9th, 2013, the satirical subreddit /r/thebluepill[3] was created, which mocks posts featured on TRP and criticizes the group’s ideology. On August 18th, the /r/purplepill[4] subreddit was launched as an alternative to TRP which aims to have a more balanced view of human sexual relationships.

Notable Figures

Roosh V

Roosh V is the nickname of writer Daryush Valizadeh, known for writing several ebooks on seduction founding the blog Return of Kings. On March 2nd, 2006, Roosh created the YouTube channel Roosh4, featuring vlogs containing dating and seduction techniques. On November 1st, Valizadeh launched his personal blog RooshV,[13] which features links to his ebooks, pickup artist tips and a discussion forum. On February 13th, 2014, The Daily Dot[12] published an interview with Valizadeh in which he denounced feminism’s influence on American women and claimed that eating disorders should be encouraged.

Karen Straughan

Karen Straughn[7] is a Canadian vlogger who posts videos criticizing feminism and promoting men’s rights. On April 29th, 2011, she launched the blog Owning Your Shit[8] with a post criticizing modern feminism. On October 21st, she created the “Girl Writes What” YouTube channel, which gathered upwards of 4.5 million video views and 53,000 subscribers in the next three years. As of February 2014, her most popular video is titled “Feminism and the Disposable Male,” which has accumulated over 830,000 views and 32,500 comments (shown below).

Criticism

On July 10th, 2011, YouTuber somegreybloke uploaded an animation titled “The Manosphere,” which features a man sitting in front of a computer who sarcastically mocks segments of the manosphere who assert that men are suffering from discrimination (shown below).

On October 16th, 2013, ABC News published an article titled “Women Battle Online Anti-Women Hate From the ‘Manosphere’,” which criticized the manosphere blog for attacks on women like feminist Anita Sarkeesian. On October 19th, manosphere vlogger RamzPaul uploaded a video mocking the ABC News piece for being biased and reactionary (shown below).

Hate Group Categorization

In Spring 2012, the Southern Poverty Law Center[19] released an intelligence report titled “Misogyny: The Sites,” which listed several notable manosphere websites.

The so-called “manosphere” is peopled with hundreds of websites, blogs and forums dedicated to savaging feminists in particular and women, very typically American women, in general. Although some of the sites make an attempt at civility and try to back their arguments with facts, they are almost all thick with misogynistic attacks that can be astounding for the guttural hatred they express.

Related Memes

Misandry

Misandry is a term referring to hatred and prejudice against men. On the web, the word has been adopted by men’s rights activists (MRAs) and is often mocked by feminists on Reddit and Tumblr.

Rationalization Hamster

“Rationalization hamster” is an Internet slang term used within the manosphere as an analogy for the thought processes used by women to excuse poor decisions and bad behavior. On June 5th, 2012, Urban Dictionary[6] user rampaging teddybear of wub submitted an entry for “rationalization hamster,” which described it as “a legendary creature dwelling deep in the minds of the self-delusional, and is particularly common among young liberal women.”

It Was My Privilege

“It Was My Privilege” is a sarcastic expression used as the punchline in greentext stories wherein gentlemanly courtesy is misunderstood as male patronage, thus mocking the feminist concept of the male-dominated social system known as the “patriarchy."